It Started With Us
by Haywarde
Summary: PokéShipping family one-shots. Mostly fluffy with possible lemon scent.


It started with a kick. A barely there, blink-and-you-miss-it kind of kick.

Misty was in the den, watching the six o'clock news with Pikachu curled at her feet when it happened. At first, she was wasn't sure what the sensation was. It felt like a Butterfree had landed on her belly. When it happened a second time, Misty sat up with a start.

"The baby's kicking."

She was twenty-five weeks pregnant and had yet to feel the baby kick. Delia had assured her it was normal and told her that she didn't feel Ash kick until she was at thirty weeks but Misty worried anyway. She already had two miscarriages, losing this baby too might just break Misty's heart.

But she was kicking. Little Michelle was letting her know that she was there and she wasn't going anywhere. Misty touched her belly, marveling at what was happening.

Pikachu looked up at Misty, eyes bright and shining. "Pikaa!"

Misty nodded. "You're right, let's go find him."

So she stepped into the pink slippers that Ash had bought for her when her feet began to swell - they were the only things that still fit - and left the apartment with Pikachu at her heels.

The warm Cerulean City summer air, heavy with the salty smell of the sea greeted Misty like an old friend as she walked down the road. It felt good to be back. It had taken a lot of convincing to get Ash to leave his position at the Indigo Plateau but he agreed to lead the Cerulean Gym with her when they lost the last baby.

"You're right," he had said on a particularly bad day that left Misty crying on their bedroom floor. "We need a change of pace and a chance to focus on us." They left the following week and moved into a cramped apartment near the water.

A group of boys on bikes zipped by, heading to the gym. Misty caught the tailend of their conversation.

"I'm so going to get a Cascade Badge today," said an older boy with brown hair. "There's no way I can lose!"

"If Misty's there today you will," said another.

"Yeah. Her Golduck and Corsola are crazy strong."

Misty smiled. She wondered if Michelle would be like them, like her father, driven by youthful passion for pokemon and an insatiable hunger for a challenge. Or maybe she'd be different, more passive and quiet. Maybe she wouldn't even like pokemon at all, preferring the company of people instead. Whatever she'd be like, Misty would love her all the same.

The boys got to the gym before Misty did. They were outside the sliding doors, crowding around Ash who looked like he was leaving for the night.

"But Mr. Ketchum," pleaded the brown haired boy. He looked on the verge of tears.

Ash knelt in front of him and place a hand on his shoulder. "Come back first thing in the morning and I promise will fight."

"Okay," the boy sniffed.

As Ash watched the boys leave, Misty moved to stand next to him. He only noticed her when she touched his hand.

"Oh. Hey," he said distractedly, his eyes still focused on the boys. Pikachu jumped to take his position on Ash's shoulder.

"You could have stayed a little late. I wouldn't have minded." She really wouldn't have. Not after what she just saw.

"No. It's okay. I promised to be home by six-thirty every night so I will." He rubbed Pikachu's ear before wrapping an arm around Misty's hip. "What are you doing outside?"

Misty leaned against his chest, resting her head next to the curve of his neck. She could hear the muffled _thump_ - _thump_ of his heart, a constant, steady rhythm. It was comforting in the same her own heart beat was probably to Michelle.

"I'm pregnant not dying. I can go outside. In fact, the gynecologist recommends it but that's not why I'm here."

"Oh?"

Misty moved his hand to rest on the swell of her belly. "The baby was kicking."

Ash's eyes widened. "Really? What did it feel like?"

"Weird, like a muscle twitch or something."

"How do you know for sure?"

"I just do." Misty touched her belly. When would she move again? "I think she's telling us not to worry. That she's going to born strong and healthy with ten fingers and ten toes."

"You can tell that from just one kick?"

"She _is_ inside me, Ash."

Ash shrugged and pulled Misty closer to him. "Fair enough," he conceded.

Ash had grown so much since they first met. He was older, sure and certainly more handsome but the belligerent boy he once had been had matured into a kind man eager to be a father. She wanted so bad for him to be one too. For them to be a family.

"I want to name her Michelle. Michelle Delia Ketchum."

"I thought we were waiting until she was born to choose a name." They had named their last baby a week before they lost it and maybe it was just superstition but Ash didn't want to take any chances.

"I know, but she just _feels_ like a Michelle though." Misty watched a Wingull perch on a nearby streetlamp. "It's what I've been calling her in my head," she admitted, her voice soft.

Ash was quiet for a moment. He brought his free hand to rub his chin thoughtfully, a habit he had developed over the years, then nodded.

"Then that's her name: Michelle Ketchum."

"You like it?"

"Yeah. It sounds like the name of a gym leader's kid."

Misty smiled. "Poor thing. Her mommy and daddy are going to love the gym more than her."

"Well, they gym _did_ come first."

"Oh, shut up."

Ash knelt in front of her, framing her bump with his hands. "We're just kidding, Michelle. You're going to be the most important thing in our lives. Even more important than the gym."

As if in response, Michelle kicked again.


End file.
